Shadow of the Abyss

"3B-11," Maylar said, covered in a sheen of sweat that trailed down the curves of her slender physique, defying what most would consider perfection. "What is your goal?"

"To follow your word." A boy in the early stages of adolescence said. He sounded cold as if he carried no life. His long auburn hair signifying his familiar attachment to house Aros." And to die by your hands."

Maylar expressed satisfaction, tracing her fingers down the boy\'s chin. He shuddered. A natural desire that couldn\'t resist her touch whirled through his veins. And she grinned, feeling his natural reaction inside her. Her naked body tightened. "Yes… Good.

Good boy. And who are you?"

"3B-11, Laros Aros. My Father is Brigadier General Gado Aros, and my Mother the Viscountess Maylar Aros." He said fatly, his eyes a dilated mesh of mist. His words were empty, devoid of afterthought, resembling more machine than man.

The Viscountess bore down at her work with pride. For this was her son. The one thing that she could now love with all her heart.  It had taken over a year and a half of constant \'conditioning\' since the day Laros had received an unknown God\'s Blessing, potentially elevating the Viscountess status to an even greater height.

News far and wide had all but spread throughout the world of Laros\'s feat, reaching the King and Queen\'s ear, as well as many powerful families.

She had started Laros\'s conditioning, then pumping his blood with poison. Maylar slowly began to groom her child to a level where she didn\'t have to worry about betrayal, much less him speaking out of turn. And with him being so young, it made it easy. Laros had become nothing more than a slave. The perfect son.

"You are finally a good son. Mommy is finally happy." Maylar said, removing him from inside her. She patted his head and whispered something almost incomprehensively and pulled back as Laros\'s pupils regained focus. She nodded coldly, pressing her finger over his temple. A jolt of Mana flashed, sending his consciousness into oblivion. She arose.

"Laros makes three. I should have started sooner with him.\' She said, disappointed. Had she started soon, matters of the flesh could have been avoided. "Oh well. Now… all that\'s left is to deal with Altair and those pesky nobles. Nine more years are left."

***

At dawn the following day, Luna prepared Altair\'s favored breakfast of sausage, blueberry pancakes, eggs, and hot cocoa. A meal Altair simply refused to skip. He had been counting the days since he last had a decent meal.

"Dear Lord…" He moaned, wrapped in furs Luna had given him to block the cold despite not needing it. Altair didn\'t dare refuse his big sis\' gifts, especially since most of his clothes had been shredded beyond recognition. What he wore, Luna called rags.

"I\'m curious, Altair." Luna, watching him eat, said. "Why did you not absorb the Chimera Heartstone?"

The Prince dug his fork into his brazed sausage, gushing with fatty juices. The smell made his entire being shudder. He took a large bite, nearly swallowing his fork. " Hmmm. I didn\'t want to overpower my foes." He said, finishing the remainder of the sausage that pooled within his mouth." Dear Lord, why is this so good? Damn!

Hmmm. Just damn! I wanted to challenge myself and train my skills. Not to mention…" he arched his lips. " I want to share it with Ren. It was our first hunt."

The Goddess of the Moon lifted her lips into two cheeky arcs. "Altair… Is that how you feel? Or is it what you want me to hear?"

He snickered. "Can\'t it be both?" He mused, digging into his eggs, sticky from syrup. "You always said the Gods can tell if I\'m lying. So… am I lying?"

Luna didn\'t immediately answer him. She truly couldn\'t tell. It had been as if Altair had mastered his craft in the depths, coming out a different person. She could feel his Mana beneath his flesh, alongside his deadly intent. He had gained a level of control she\'d never thought possible in one so young, allowing him to view the world as an observer and a critic.

When breakfast had been eaten, Altair rose ready, pausing as a thought struck him. "I almost forgot. Can you do me a favor, Big Sis?" Luna turned to him. "Can you contact Mother… she isn\'t taking my calls. Tell her to notify the Military of my existence."

"Oh? Why the Military?"

"Every citizen of Earth needs to serve for at least three years." He told her with a cunning smile. "And if I\'m to survive on the other side. I need the Military\'s aid. House Aros won\'t let me live."

"Aren\'t you underestimating the House Aros? They are a military family. A dukedom that controls a third of the Western Sectors." She reminded him, holding him beneath her mysterious eye.

"True. But what\'s more of a benefit? A young unmarried asset who\'d not only awakened before ten and is on course to experience their second awakening in a year\'s time? Then there are the Gods watching. I\'m sure many of them are willing to send their representative over to me. "

[Divine Being \'Piercing Owl\' sternly nods.]

The Young Prince laughed, waving off her concerns. "I\'ve got it handle… not that you all could help."

Lunafreya revealed dissatisfaction but did not make it known. She\'d done much for the boy. The mere fact she, and Old God, a Primordial at that, was here granting not just her wisdom but her lessons was once said by many of the Old Gods to be unparalleled from her peers. And Luna had no peers.

"Help can come in many forms." She told him coldly.

The boy bore a grin revealing his fangs. "I meant no offense, Big Sis. I merely meant you can\'t physically aid me. The Laws of the Shadow Proclamation and all." Altair tapped his furs, pushing off the snow, gathering on his shoulders and hair. "Although… I suspect you\'ve done quite a bit for my sake. Anyway.

Shall we go? I\'m dying to see Ren."

"Little Shit." She said, her face dark with vexation. "Fine. Come along."

Lunafreya herded the boy east through the dense woods and marshes of uneven lands covered with monsters and spirits of many. None of which approached the Prince or Luna. They heeded the warning as if their instincts howled from them not to approach.

\'Have you heard the story of the Devil of the Damned?" Luna probed.

"A story." The boy said, "How fun."

She smirked, a raw snort of amusement sounding in quick succession. "Long ago, over the plain of the Seventh layer of Hell, Mythos. There existed a lone soul born to pain within a Hell Pit of all that was evil. From thieves to torturous, to rapers and God killers. Surrounded by sin, this pure, innocent soul fell to Madness.

Its soul began to burn, ready to fade from the Myriad Heavens, from the core of the hells, in what many would call a sweet release. But in its desperation, in its Madness. The Devil of Damned began to gorge itself on the souls around it, desperate to suffer, desperate to feel that pain it had known since birth."

"From soul to soul, he ate, building his power and the Madness that ravaged his body and soul, leaving nothing but despair so sweet it became poison. Until one day, he rose from out of his torment, from out of the Pits of Hell, to a land governed by Chaotic Law. Do you know what happened to him?"

"No…"

[Divine sin, Archeon is reminiscent of Luna\'s tale]

"He was found by the King of the Seventh Layer of Hell after becoming a raging demon, pillaging, raping, and killing every man, woman, and child he saw, eating their corpses raw. He was made to bow before the King and the Monarch." Luna told him, glancing back with an icy look. "The crazed devil went mad, attempting to thrash the Seventh Monarch\'s throne room. And failed.

He was later given to the King to train as a pet."

The Prince gulped. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because Altair… there is always a deeper form of despair. For a soul that only knew despair and Madness. The Seventh King found a way to break him, destroying his old personality and replacing it with a loyal dog. I believe he\'s a Duke now." She stopped, catching sight of a pillar of smoke. "I don\'t like your plan. It lacks a depth befitting your intelligence.

Tenebrae is under the same restriction as me… if not more." She turned to him. "Never give an order without doing your research. Remember, it\'s not just life that\'ll end. Ren is also affiliated with you. You can\'t afford mistakes. Don\'t let your arrogance cloud your judgment."

Altair bowed his head, thinking for a moment. "What was his name?"

"He is known as the Duke of Hell. Archdevil, Barbatos of Mythos, Lord of all that is Damned."